Sweep-mill.



PATENT Patented September 22, 1903 OFFrqE.

CHARLES W. BAIRD, OF MILLERSBURG, IOWA.

SWEEP-MILL.

srEoiFIcA'rIoNrormin part of Letters Patent No."1'39,3"73, dated September 22, 1902. Application filed March 15, 1902. Serial No. 98,345. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES W. BAIRD, a citizen of theUnited States,resid in g at Millersburg, in the county-0t Iowa and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sweep-Mills, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to that class of sweepmills commonly used for grinding grain and operated by means of one or more sweeps to which draft-animals are attached, and the draft-animals travel around the sweep-mill in operating it. In machines of this class it has been customary to have the grain carried to the machine by the operator and the prodnot of the machinecarried away by the operator, and obviously the carrying of the grain to and from the machine must .be accomplished without interfering with the movements of the draft-animals, and it is obviously .quite difficult to handle large quantities of,

grain by a machine of this class, because the operator and the draft-animals will interfere with the movements of each other very materially.

The objects of my invention are .to provide means of simple, durable, and inexpensive construction, said means to be operated by the machine for conveying grain from a point outside of the path of travel of the draft-animals to the machine and for conveying the product of the mill from the machine to a point of discharge beyond the path of travel of the draft-animals, so that the capacity of the mill may be very materially increased on account of the ease and speed with which the operator may handle the grain,'so that the draft-animals need not be stopped and started and the mill can be run at its full capacity, and, furthermore, the capacity of the mill may be very materially increased by applying two sweeps thereto, which sweeps extend in opposite directions from the mill, so that two independent teams of draft-animals may be attached to the mill. This obviously would be impracticable where the operator had to carry grain to and from the mill.

A further object is to provide means for conveying grain to the mill by employing a conveyer located above the draft-animals and capable of being moved both'vertically and horizontally, so that the conveyor for carrying grain to the mill may be located at any point relative to the grain-supply and to the discharge-chute.

My invention consists in certain details in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the various partsof the device whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 shows a side elevation of a complete mill with my improvements applied thereto as required for practical use. Fig. 2 shows a vertical sectional central view through the mill with my attachments applied thereto.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

.1 have used the reference-numeral 10 to indicate the base of the mill. Near the top of this base is a cross-piece 11, to which an np-' right shaft 12 is attached.

The numeral 13'indicates a rim having internal cog-teeth 14, and this rim is rotatably mounted, and a sweep 15 is attached thereto.

The numeral 16 is used to indicate a number of pinions supported upon the boltsl? and these-pinions and in mesh with the cogteeth 1 1.

Mounted upon meshed with the pinions 16. Obviously as the rim 13 is rotated the pinions 16 will operate to impart a rotary motion to the pinion 18, and. this pinion 18 is connected with the rotatable grinding member 19.

The numeral 20 indicates a stationary rim supported upon the bolts 17 and resting on the shaft 12 is a pinion 18,

top'of the rim 13, and this stationary rim supports the stationary grinding member 21 and also supports the hopper 22..

Formed on or fixed to the stationary grinding member 21 is a central hub 23, and this The parts just described are of ordinary construction and are of the kind now in common use. Hence adetailed description of its operation and specific-construction is considered unnecessary, my invention consist ing only in attachments to be applied to machines of this class.

The reference-numeral 25 is used to indicate a rim supported upon the legs 26, which are attached to the rim 13. The upper face of the rim 25 is provided with cog-teeth 27 for purposes hereinafter made clear. The unmeral 28 indicates a rim secured to the under surface of the rim 13, and the lower surface of the rim 28 is provided with cog-teeth 29.

Mounted in the base 10 is a shaft 30, having at one end a cog-wheel 31, meshed with the tooth-rim 29. In the said base is a conveyer-chute 32, designed to receive the product of the mill, and fixed to the shaft 30 are the sprocket-wheels 33, over which the sprocket chain conveyer 34 passes. This conveyer serves to convey the product of the mill in a direction lengthwise of the chute 32. At the outer end of the chute 32' is a conveyer 35, leading upwardly to a dischargechute 36. Obviously the chute 32 may rest upon the ground surface, and the draftanimals may step over it when operating the mill. conveyers may be The said chute and of any ordinary construction, and hence a detailed description is thought unnecessary.

Mounted upon the hub 25 is a frame 37, which frame serves to support the uprights 38, and these uprights are attached at a point above the hopper to the beams 39, and these beams supporta platform 40,upon which the driver of the draft-animals may stand. Fixed to the upper ends of the uprights 38 is a stationary shaft 41, and depending from this stationary shaft 41 are the arms 42. In the lower ends of these arms I have mounted a stationary shaft 43, and rotatably mounted upon this shaft 43 is a cog-wheel 44 in mesh with the teeth 27 of the rim 25. Fixed to the hub of the cog-wheel 44 is a sprocket-wheel 45, and this sprocket-wheel 45 is connected with a similar wheel 46 on the shaft 41 by means of the sprocket-chain 47, and fixed to the hub of the sprocket-wheel 46 is another sprocket-wheel 48, upon which a sprocketchain 49 is mounted.

From the foregoing description it is obvious that as the sweep-mill is operated by the draft-animals motion will be imparted to the sprocket-chain 49.

The numeral 50 indicates a brace connecting one of the arms 42 with the beams 39 to .viding this kind of a support the arms in their vertical position at all times.

I shall next proceed to a description of the conveyer by which the grain is introduced from a point outside of the path of travel of the draft-animals into the hopper 22.

The numeral 51 indicates a trough supported at one end upon the vertically-adjustable legs 52. At one end of the trough I have supported a sprocket-wheel 53 and at the other end a sprocket-wheel 54, and over these wheels a sprocket conveyer chain 55 51 toward the discharge end thereof.

The numeral 56 indicates a second coni veyer-trough rigidly secured at one end to the trough 51 by means of the brackets 57. This trough 56 is provided at its ends with the sprocket-wheels 58 and 59, and over these wheels the conveyer-chain 60 passes, thus carrying the grain discharged from the trough 51 the entire length of the trough 56 to the discharge end thereof. The discharge end of this trough 56 is supported upon the arms 61, which arms are attached to the beams 39 and to the braces or uprights 38. Pivoted to the discharge end of the trough 56 is achute 62, with its discharge ends arranged directly above the hopper 22. I drive the sprocketwheel 59 by means of the chain 49, passing over a sprocket-wheel 63, which wheel is attached to the sprocket-wheel 59 to rotate in unison therewith.

It is obvious that the conveyer for carrying away the product of the mill is fixed in its relation to the mill proper, and the mill must be so placed as to discharge its contents at the desired point. However, the means for carrying grain to the mill may be moved in a horizontal plane throughout a complete circle, and hence the grain may be fed to the machine from any point. Furthermore,the receiving-trough 51 may be readily and quickly raised and lowered to any desired height by ,adjusting the legs 52, and this may all be done without any adjustment of the conveying mechanism. The troughs 51 and 56 must, however, always be high enough to permit the draft-animals to pass under them.

One of the important features of my invention consists in supporting the frame 37 upon a hub 23, and by this arrangement I gain a number of important advantages. First, it provides means whereby the conveyer for carrying grain to the hopper may be moved in a horizontal plane to any point around the machine, and, further, some sweep-mills have the lower grinding member stationary while the upper one rotates, and obviously by proconnection the upper grinding member may rotate without changing the operation or function of my device for carrying grain to the sweep-mill. Furthermore, my invention may be applied in the nature of an attachment to any of the ordinary sweep-mills now on the market.

I am aware that means have been provided heretofore for carrying the product of the mill to a point of discharge beyond the line of travel of the draft-animals. Therefore I do not claim this part of the device broadly, nor do I make any claim on the construction of the mill proper.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States therefor, is-

1. The combination with a sweep-mill, having a toothed rim and a sweep for rotating it and also having stationary and rotatable grinding members, of a conveyor having one end supported on the stationary grinding member, means for supporting its other end at a point beyond the path of travel of the sweep, said conv'eyer operated from the toothed rim and discharging into the mill.

2. The combination with a sweep-mill, having a toothed rim and a sweep for rotating it and-also having stationary and rotatable grinding members,ofa cross-piece 37 mounted on the stationary grinding member, braces 38 fixed to said cross-piece, a trough supported at one end upon said braces above the grinding-mill, means for supporting the other end of said trough and a conveyer in said trough operated from the toothedyrim and discharging into the mill.

3. The combination with a sweep-mill, having a toothed rim and a sweep for rotating it and also having stationary and rotatable grinding members, of a platform rotatably supported upon the stationary member, a retatable pinion supported from the platform and meshed with the said toothed rim, a conveyer-trough connected with the platform and with the stationary grinding member at one end, means for supporting the other end of the conveyer-trough, a conveyer in the trough and means for driving the conveyor from said pinion, for the purposes stated.

4. The combination with a sweep-mill, having a toothed rim and a sweep for rotating it and also having stationary and rotatable grinding members, of a frame rotatably mounted upon the stationary grinding members, braces attached to said frame and projected upwardly, a number of conveyer-.

troughs connected with each other, the inner end of the inner trough supported by means of said braces, legs for supporting the outer end of the outer trough, a pinion supported by the frame and meshed with the toothed rim, conveyors in said troughs, and means for driving said conveyors from the said pinion, for the purposes stated. I

5. The combination with asweep-mill, having a toothed rim and a sweep for rotating it and also having stationary and rotatable grinding members, of a frame rotatably supported upon the stationary grinding members, a platform connected with said frame, a pinion carried by said frame and meshed with the toothed rim, a conveyer-trough 51, legs for supporting its outer end, a conveyertrough 56 beneath the inner end of the con-- veyer-trough 51, brackets connecting said troughs, braces of the trough frame, end of the trough 56 and discharging into the mill, scraping-conveyors in the troughs 51 and 56 and means for driving the convoy- 56 connected with the said 'ers from the said pinion, substantially as and for the purposes stated.

CHARLES W. BAIRD.

Witnesses:

S. B. WILSON, J. P. LANTZ.

a trough 62 connected to the inner for supporting the inner end 

